Love is Weakness
by BrilliantBrunettte
Summary: Athena Laud, District 2's tribute for the 75th annual Hunger Games. She is lethal. She is fierce. She is looking for a chance to prove that she is more than a sniveling ex-lover of the 73rd victor Cato Porcius. What she doesn't know is the boy who broke her heart did so to save her from the trap she was so forcefully walking into.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all, I've been playing with the idea of this story for a really long time now and I'm SUPER excited to finally bring it to life! A few quick side notes before we get started, just to set the stage and prevent confusion later on. Cato was the winner of the 73rd Hunger Games, but other than that everything is pretty much the same (Katniss and Peeta still won/are in big trouble, Snow's still out to get everyone, etc)! This story basically picks up about halfway through _Catching Fire_, although there is plenty of alluding to past events. **

**Also, here's your blanket disclaimer for the entire story: I OWN NOTHING. Especially not the Hunger Games or the character any associated with it. I'm not going to repeat that every chapter, because it's not going to change.**

**Anyways! Without further ado, _Love is_****_ Weakness:_**

* * *

My own large, blue eyes stare back at me from the mirror of the training center locker room. As I allow my eyes to fall down the length of the mirror, I find nothing out of the ordinary. My pale skin is still riddled with scars, some fresh but most fading. My long, dark hair falls in loose curls until about half down my back. Brutus had always told me I was a fool for keeping it so long. I almost smile at the memory of him ripping me off the training course by my ponytail, screeching about women and weakness. Truthfully, I wasn't sure why I hadn't cut it off after last spring. I could barely run a brush through now it without wishing it were his calloused fingers gliding blissfully there instead.

When I become aware of where my train of thought has brought me, my eyes snap back up to find their own reflection again. But this does no good to pull me out of the daydream I am falling quickly into. He has the same icy blue eyes as I do. It's ironic really, considering how different we look while standing next to each other. He stands at least 6'3", while I get suspicious looks when I attempt to claim 5'6". His skin keeps a warm summer tan well into snowy weather, while I remain pasty year round without even sunburn to claim color. His blonde, perpetually messy hair is a stark contrast to my dark mane, and the freckles that dance around his cheeks and nose are no where to be found on my entire body. But our eyes are so similar; one look would have any stranger convinced we were twins.

A sharp, stabbing pain in my side brings me back to the present, and I turn to see blood now beginning to seep through the back and side ribcage of my shirt. A quick survey of the scrape tells me that in several hours I would have a bruise roughly the size of a grapefruit painted across my side.

I curse under my breath, hissing as I pull my shirt over my head and start the hot shower. How could I be so foolish? The Reaping was tomorrow, and I had just injured myself in a last minute attempt to let off some steam. The pain is only magnified as I step under the stream of water, and I bite my knuckle to hold in a scream.

After a minute or so, the pain subsides and I let my thoughts from earlier creep back into my mind. It's hard not to think of him when I'm here after hours. I can't begin to count the times we broke in here late at night. At first, it really was to practice our skills and try our hand at the more advanced stations we were not yet allowed to visit. But as our relationship grew less platonic, so did our visits. I shudder at the memories I have in this building, even in this shower. I can almost imagine him whispering my name. Then I realize I do hear his voice ringing out over the sound of the faucet; only it is harsh and almost as if he has to force himself to say my name.

"Athena?" He waits a minute while I pretend not to have noticed another human's presence in my small sanctuary. "Athena! Damnnit I know it's you and I know you can hear me. What the hell are you doing in here?"

I groan low enough so that he can't hear and turn the water off before wrapping myself in a towel and stepping out of the shower. I know I must flinch slightly when I look up to meet his eyes, and I can tell by the way he faintly winces in response that he noticed. Immediately, I force up the wall that I've had to use around him ever since last year.

"What the hell are you doing in here? This is the women's locker room, you know," I absentmindedly wring the water out of my hair and flick it in his direction. I catch a glimpse of the sneer on his face just before I close the changing room door. And I can detect the bitterness in my voice when I add, "You never used to be apposed to these late night break-ins."

"As a victor and a mentor, I could report you. You know that, don't you?"

"When are you going to learn that you don't scare me, Cato?" I yank open the door still only half dressed to give him my most seething glare. When his eyes fall to my waist and his face pales I realize my mistake. I quickly yank a pullover over my wound and push past him. "I was just leaving anyway."

"What happened?" He chokes out after a significant pause. I turn to face him and see the last traces of genuine concern sweep across his face before they are replaced by anger. "Athena, you blithering idiot. You shouldn't be in here alone. You could have killed yourself! Here, let me see-"

"You lay a finger on me, Cato Porcius, and I swear to you I will break your whole arm," I growl through clenched teeth. "Report me, if you like. This time next month, I'll have even more power than you as victor of the 75th Hunger Games and the third Quarter Quell."

Cato grabs my elbow and spins me around. His face is less than an inch from my own and his eyes are frantically moving back and forth between mine. When his voice comes out ragged and desperate I can almost convince myself that I hear fear and concern in his voice, "What did you just say? Athena you can't seriously be considering volunteering tomorrow…"

My silent scowl and attempts to free myself from his grasp must answer his question because he lets go of my arm only to send his fist into the mirror behind me. I force myself not to flinch and maintain my steely glare as glass rains down around us. He brings both his hands up to cover his mouth, and I notice blood trickling down his fingers from the impact. As he slides his hands up through his messy hair, he collapses on the bench behind us. His voice is so quiet and broken that at first I believe I imagined it, "You promised. You promised me you'd never volunteer…"

At the reminder of our past together, my breath catches in my throat. "It would seem we've both made a habit out of breaking our promises to each other."

* * *

**Well... What do you guys think? I'd love to hear your feedback (good or bad, I'm not picky). But I'd really REALLY like to hear from you if you're enjoying the story and want more.**

**I'm not going to hold chapters hostage until I get a certain number a views, but they do motivate me to write more/faster. So pretty pretty please leave me a note and let me know what you think!**

**xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to everyone who followed or added this story to their favorites. I was honestly hoping for some reviews before I posted this next chapter, but I can't hold onto it anymore. So here you go! Chapter2:**

* * *

An angry red blur pulses around the edges of my vision as I make my way through Victors' Village. Houses are assigned in order by each victors' respective winning year, which means I only have to go one house past mine to find the man I'm looking for. The door rattles and I hear something shatter as I furiously pound my fist on the door. By the time the door finally opens, it's nearly off the hinges. He barely has time to shut it before I've got him pinned to the wall.

"Ares Laud, you son of a bitch! She's your twin sister! You were supposed to protect her, to convince her not to volunteer. You had one job!" My hands are quivering as I resist the urge not to asphyxiate him on the spot.

"Put me down, you idiot!" Ares chokes out. I drop him, and he falls to the floor with a crash. "You don't think I tried? You think I want her in those games? We'll get her out in time. She could win the entire games, surviving until we-"

"She doesn't know!" My interruption sends him jumping backwards. "She will go into that arena. She will fight. And she will _kill_, Ares. She will kill anyone she can get to before we get to her. Then what? She lives with the pain of knowing she killed for no reason. Do you want to knowingly place that burden on her for the rest of her life? Think of the guilt you carry, the nightmares that haunt you every night, the faces of all the tributes you personally killed. Athena thinks she's ready. She thinks she can strike down a living breathing human as easily as a training center simulation. It'll kill her, Ares. It'll rip her apart from the inside out…"

My voice trails off with a hint of insanity, and the red blur returns to my peripherals. I crack my knuckles and look over to notice Ares staring at me as if I'm a human bomb, ready to explode at any moment. He takes a step forward and draws a deep breath, waiting to see if I'll begin another tangent before taking my furious silence as a sign to continue.

"You know as well as I do, if we try to tell her she can't volunteer, she'll do it to spite us. Well, mostly you," I manage to contain my response to a low growl before he continues. "But we can stop her from destroying herself in the process."

The sarcastic half laugh that escapes me is cold and sharp. "Do enlighten me. How has all of my work from the past two years not been completely in vain? Did you hear me? She is volunteering. Today. We-"

It's Ares turn to shove me to the floor and look at me with furious eyes. "Think, Cato. Use what meager amount of intelligence you've maintained after all those concussions and try to think about this situation." After receiving only a sneer and a slight shove to get him off of me for an answer, He continues, "What is her greatest weakness? Why are we here in the first place? Her heart, idiot. She cares too much. About you, about everything. She doesn't fight out of maliciousness. She fights out of pride and protectiveness. Don't you see why she's volunteering at all? She's doing this to prove she deserves you, to prove you wrong."

I begin to feel sick as I realize what he is referring to. Enobaria had never attempted to hide her preference of Athena from the other tributes. She was her protégé. That's why when she came to me the night before my games; I had been expecting her to ask me to wait another year to volunteer so that Athena may be that year's victor. Instead she asked the impossible in order to protect her. My head starts to spin and I really believe I am going to lose my breakfast as I am thrown into a whirlwind of flashbacks encompassing the night before I volunteered for my games.

Ares clears his throat and looks at me with unsympathetic eyes. He had never quite forgiven me for going along with Enobaria's scheme. "Wipe the victimized look of your face. This was your doing," he sneers, clearly reliving the same memories I was. He had been the one to piece her back together again after I left. "So get your ass up and help me fix it. Here's what were going to do…"

* * *

I'm adjusting the collar of my suit when I hear Rosaline, District 2's escort, announce the entrance of this year's mentors. Ares strides out first, I'm sure to no one's surprise. Word is out that Athena is volunteering, and he's here to protect his twin sister. But when she announces my name, I hear a few murmurs roll through the crowd. As I step onto the stage, my eyes instinctively find hers. Confusion, disbelief, and raw anger flash through her eyes in milliseconds and I return it with a nasty scowl of my own. My intent is to scare her out of volunteering, but I can see that she merely takes it as an affirmation of my hatred toward her. This realization does nothing but deepen my scowl.

I turn my attention to the front of the stage where several of the younger girls are grinning up at me with wide, innocent eyes. One even ventures to wave, so I return her greeting with a wink and a smile. Her grin widens as her friends pout in jealousy, and I can practically hear the women in the capital going mad all over again. Another reason Enobaria proposed the dissolution of our relationship. Athena would be protected from any backlash my winning may cause, and I would receive sponsorship from the easily charmed women of the capital (a tactic that had painted me a capital whore in Athena's eyes).

Rosaline giggles as I blow her a kiss and I can see her blush underneath her pink, glittering skin. You can hear how flustered she is after the encounter as she continues her speech, "And now-now for the restating of the third Quarter Quell. 'As a reminder to the districts that even the strongest among them lost the things they held most dear, on this the Third Quarter Quell the tributes will be reaped from the family of the existing victors.' As usual, I will draw the name first before we accept volunteers. Ladies first..."

I sneak another panicked glance at Athena as Rosaline makes a show of mixing up the slips and drawing a name from the center. Not a trace of nerves or fear can be found in her delicate yet intimidating features. I'm so lost in my mind that I miss Rosaline call out the name of the original tribute.

"I volunteer as tribute!" I see her mouth the words before I hear them. Time is moving in slow motion as I watch her poised prance up to the podium. "My name is Athena Laud, and I volunteer as tribute for District 2."

I hear Ares mumble several expletives underneath his breathe though his composure is unquestionable. In fact, to the outside world, I'm sure he even looks proud. I pray that I am somehow miraculously not conveying to the world how horrified I am, as most of my concentration is going into restraining myself from pushing her conniving ass off the stage.

Brutus's son, Cassius, volunteers as the male tribute and I can see Ares's knuckles go white from gripping his armchair. The menacing 17 year old struts onto the stage and my protective instincts go into overdrive as he stands a full head taller and at least 100lbs heavier than her. As they shake hands and are ushered off stage the peacekeepers inform us that no goodbyes will be said this year. We are to go straight to the train.

"Suits me, I'll be back in a few weeks," Athena states indifferently while practically skipping onto the train. Followed quietly by Cassius, leaving Ares and I alone with Rosaline on the platform.

"Oh I like her!" Rosaline declares while tossing me what I'm sure she thinks is an alluring smile. "She may even outshine you in the capital, my dear."

"Let's hope so," Ares sighs as if already exhausted. "Come on, we need to make some phone calls and see what the game plan is from here. I'll get in touch with Haymitch."

"I'll get the little doves ready for dinner!" Rosaline peeps, clearly unaware of the situation.

I roll my eyes and push past them both. Normally, I refrain from any mind-altering substances, but tonight is an exception. The small nod I receive from Ares as I motion to the bar car tells me he is in agreement, and we both solemnly make our way down the train to drown our sorrows one last time.

* * *

**Thanks so much for continuing with Chapter2! As always, leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


End file.
